Whether it’s over 100 pounds, or only 15 pounds, if you’re looking to lose weight, then you most likely already know that losing weight can be extremely challenging. Everyone knows that you should diet and exercise if you want to lose weight, but there’s many different ways you can diet and exercise.

So, many people end up being stumped by figuring out exactly which ways they should be dieting and how they should be exercising before they even begin. When it comes to the exercise aspect of weight loss, many people overlook the importance of strength training.

Strength training is an extremely effective way to burn fat and lose weight because of a few reasons. First, not only do you burn calories during your workout, but your body also goes into overdrive and burns extra calories through the next 24-48 hours to help your muscles recover from the workout. Another huge benefit of strength training is the fact that you will slowly replace body fat with lean muscle, which will increase the amount of calories you burn throughout each day for maintenance energy.

Of course, it’s easy to say you must do strength training in order to lose weight effectively, but it is absolutely crucial to do so in a certain manner. So, to help people lose weight, here are 5 tips and tricks for success in the weight room:

1.Don’t Skip Warm-Ups!

When you finally get to the gym, the last thing you want to do is a spend 10-15 minutes on some warm-up exercises. But, it’s crucial. Doing some aerobic exercises to loosen up your muscles will go a long way in helping your training session and its results. Not only will it help you make sure that you maximize your workout for the day, but it will also help you burn a few calories for a head start. So, make sure you increase your heart rate and warm up your muscles before working out.

2.Always Prioritize Major Lifts First

With weight loss and burning fat in the gym, you want to try to focus on exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench press, rows, and pullups. Such big lifts involve the bigger muscles groups in your body across multiple joints for more muscular and hormonal benefit than the smaller, more isolated exercises. Making those lifts the center of your workout plans for each day with help trigger testosterone and human growth hormone secretion, and both of those help to boost fat metabolism.

3.Don’t Forget a Rest Set

While it’s important to make sure your workout isn’t lacking intensity, you certainly should avoid overtraining. Avoiding overtraining is simple because you just need to make sure you are getting adequate rest between all of your sets, exercises, and between workouts as well. Rests will help you recover enough energy to put into the next set, which optimizes fat burning. While it might differ depending on experience, health, and genetics, generally aim to give yourself 30 to 90 seconds between each set of an exercise. For starters, it is a good idea to aim for 3 workout days in a week, with one rest day between each one. As you get stronger and gain endurance, you can add another workout day.

4.Go Big or Go Home

One of the best ways to trigger the most weight-loss hormones in the gym is to lift more weight for fewer reps as that will help you gain lean muscle mass. So, make sure you are pushing yourself to the point where the last rep of each set should be difficult and you should feel fatigued for the last couple reps. However, be absolutely certain that your weights are not so heavy that they compromise perfect form and technique. If so, turn the notch down a little bit. Always aim for slight and consistent increase in the weights you use from workout to workout.

5.Reward Your Body with Protein

Protein literally helps your body burn the fat and replace it with muscle. So, to optimize your fat loss and muscle gain during your weight loss journey make sure to get the appropriate serving of protein following each workout and throughout the day as well. Your rate of muscle growth and recovery (which burns calories) increases in a way which corresponds with protein intake, making it a critical aspect of effective strength training.

At the end of the day, following these tips can ensure that your strength exercises are effectively leading you to your weight loss goals. While weight loss is never easy, setting up a well-designed plan can definitely make it feel easier. When it comes down to it, weight loss is always a long-distance marathon so you need to remember to stay focus and driven. If you have any other thoughts regarding weight loss, read about how to lose weight and keep it off.